Just Like Riding A Bike
by Vickery
Summary: His job was writing books. However, what he considered to be his real job was convincing her that he was her 'One And Done'. Beckett and Castle know each other very well, so it is time for Rick and Kate to step into the spotlight.


**Hey there everyone! This is my first Castle fanfic, although I have read many great ones on this site. Hence, I decided to put a brave face on and step into the realm of Caskett. Anyway, I'm usually more of a one-shot kinda writer, so a multi-chapter story is kind of a first for me, so hopefully I can hold your attention throughout the chapters! I'm not still 100% sure where this is going to go, but I can give you a little hint: this will be more of a happy story than a sad one, so drama and angst readers will not be getting quite their dose as the romance and humor ones. Still, nothing is 100% hunky dory in the real world, so turmoils, murders and fights will ensue here and there.**

**Also, even though Castle/Beckett will be the main pair and the focus of the story, I will try to bring Esposito, Lanie, Ryan, Jenny, Alexis, Martha etc into the mix as they are all very interesting characters for me, both as a viewer and a writer.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, sadly. One day I might, though. *plots bank robbery and taking over of ABC***

**Enough of my rambling, let the story begin!**

He was so bored. It was a feeling Richard Castle wasn't accustomed to for the last 3 years, as following and annoying the extraordinary Kate Beckett was anything _but_ boring. Even so, there he was, sitting in his chair at the 12th, next to his favorite detective who was dutifully filling out paperwork.

He had tried everything. First he watched Kate do her paperwork, something he loved doing but would obviously never admit to her. However she found that very unnerving and threatened to send him to lockup if he kept at it. Castle wasn't too fond of lockup and her voice was more of a growl than anything else, so he decided not to tease about how he wouldn't mind being locked up with her somewhere… alone.

Figuring out that that this _so_ wasn't the time for such a line of thought, he tried to busy himself with his phone. He played some Angry Birds and fiddled around with some of the fancy apps on his iPhone, but soon he grew tired of that as well.

Kate obviously noticed his condition and mentally shook her head. He was even more exasperating then usual when there wasn't a case, or in Castle land, a chance to spout some crazy theories into the air.

"Castle, it's already 5pm. Why don't you head home, there's nothing for you do to here anyway?" she asked.

Castle was just about to answer her when he saw Ryan head to the break room for some coffee. He stood up and left Kate without an answer, heading to talk to his friend about his upcoming wedding with Jenny. Kate shook her head and glad that if he was staying to annoy someone, it wouldn't be her.

Castle entered the break room finding Ryan at the coffee machine stifling a yawn and getting ready to make some of the hot liquid his body desperately needed. He slowly approached the detective and a man who he has come to acknowledge as one of his best friends. Tailing Beckett for 3 years didn't just give him the exclusive first class ticket to get to know her as a detective and a person, but also to meet the other fine officers the New York Police Department had to give. He included Ryan and Esposito in that column and although he rarely mentioned it, he was very glad to have them in his life and very glad to call them his friends.

With that in mind he approached Ryan, the man who was spending his last month as a single man. Castle didn't see Jenny much outside of their group meetings at the Old Haunt, which were becoming something of a regularity on Friday evenings, but he knew how well the detective and the petite Irish woman fit together. His face was taking on a concerned look, something Ryan noticed as he was Castle walking towards him.

"Hey." he greeted and took his coffee cup, smelled the tantalizing aroma and took a short sip, blissfully closing his eyes at the pleasant taste.

"Hey." Castle said back.

"What's up?" Ryan asked while taking another sip. Castle looked a bit uncomfortable, but finally decided to talk.

"I wanted to talk to you about your wedding." he said quietly.

"OK, what about it?" Ryan drawled slowly, not quite familiar with this Castle before him.

"I still haven't RSVP'd to the invitation you guys sent." Castle answered, now looking at his friend in the eye.

"You are coming, right?" Ryan replied. He really wanted Castle to be there. Despite the writer's many annoying virtues, Kevin considered him a very good friend.

"Yes, of course I'm coming. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Rick reassured him quickly.

"The thing is, I just don't know if I'm coming alone or with a partner and I know the deadline is today." he added, realizing that Ryan might not be the one he should be talking about this to.

"Phew, you scared me there for a minute, Castle. If that's all it is, I can easily talk to Jenny and tell her to wait a few days to make the seating arrangements. Just don't take too long, k?" he smiled slightly and patted Castle's back as he exited the break room.

Castle sighed and sat down in a chair. Ryan definitely wasn't the person he should be talking to about this. The thing is, his dilemma wasn't about whether he wanted to go alone or bring someone with him. He knew exactly what he wanted and whom he wanted to go with him that day. He looked over to Kate, who was still working on her paperwork and biting her lower lip as she looked for something in her drawer.

Rick had always thought of her as the most beautiful women he has ever laid eyes on, no matter what she wore or how she looked. But today he felt his heart ache for her even more. She wore a simple black cashmere sweater and tight fitting jeans that hugged her legs nicely enough, but not too much. She had her hair down and it framed her face as elegantly as always. He always preferred it when she kept her hair curvy instead of straight, it made her look more feminine and it always made him want to put his fingers in it and caress it.

He sighed again. God, he was in deep. The events of the last few months didn't help with that either. The uncovering of her mother's case, nearly losing Esposito and Ryan, their first kiss. Their first kiss. When he closed his eyes and put the tip of his fingers on his lips, he could still remember how it felt. How soft her lips were and how willingly she participated, undercover or not. Then of course there was the almost dying in the freezer and the holding of the hands in front of a ticking dirty bomb. The immense feeling of joy when he spontaneously saved their lives and when she hugged him with all her might and the feeling of loss when she departed from the hug and clung on to Josh in the precinct later that day. He so desperately wanted to be the one to hold her that day, to whisper sweet nothings into her ear and tell her that he will be there for her and that with him she was safe and loved.

And he would've told her she was loved, he really would. Richard Castle was absolutely certain of few things in his life. He knew that he loved his daughter and his mother, that he _hated_ waking up early or drinking coffee without sugar. He also knew that he loved Kate Beckett more than any woman he had been involved with before and they weren't even romantically involved. She had Demming and he thought he didn't stand a chance so he hooked up with Gina, a decision he still regrets to this very day. He hurt her by leaving for the Hamptons and he knew it now, he was just too dumb to see it then. She found her comfort in Josh and here they were now, whatever this is, he thought while running a hand through his hair. Josh.

The guy's name kept ringing in his head and it was annoying him, like it annoyed him every time he saw her with him. He still remembers one moment where he realized just how much it hurt to know she has someone else in her life. It was during the Greg McClintock case, when they were walking through the hospital corridors. It was the first time he had heard of Josh and Kate told him he was a heart surgeon, that he had saved a life just that morning. She had asked him nonchalantly what he had done that morning and he joked about it, as always.

"I made waffles." he had said quietly, with a slight pout, but she had already been out of earshot. The truth is that at that moment, Castle had felt horrible. He felt like puking. He thought that he could never compete with someone like that. His self-confidence was hardly ever in question, he knew that himself. But he had to be honest with himself, how _could_ he compare with a young, sexy heart surgeon?

He sighed for the third time in a short while, realizing he was over-thinking everything again. A lot had happened since then, maybe Kate and Motorcycle Boy weren't as serious as he thought…

'Gah, you're an idiot.' he thought to himself. He didn't know anything anymore, he only knew that he wanted Kate to be his date for Ryan's wedding. He desperately wanted that and he would try to make it happen. With that thought in mind he left the break room and headed back toward Kate, seating himself down in his chair with a slight thud.

"You've been in there for an awfully long time." she said as she looked at him, her mouth curving upwardly at the corners.

"Miss me already, Detective?" he teased with a slight grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

"In your dreams, Castle." she smiled and rolled her eyes. He loved it when she did that, too.

"So, what were you talking about with Ryan?" she asked and put away her last folder, paperwork finally finished.

"Oh, just stuff about the wedding." he shrugged. He didn't want her to know that he'd most likely be going to the reception alone, even though he preferred that to carrying along some blonde bimbo.

"Did you reply to the invitation yet?" she inquired, as if she was reading his mind. He didn't want to lie to her, so he didn't.

"Actually no, not yet. How about you, taking Doctor Motorcycle Boy with you?" he answered and quickly tried to change the subject.

"Well…" she started to talk, but then her phone rang.

"Beckett." she answered it and listened to the person on the other side.

"OK, we'll be there in 20." she said and put the phone down.

"We've got a body."

As if on a whim, Castle, Esposito and Ryan all stood up from their chairs and joined her in front of the elevator.

The ride to the crime scene was short and uneventful, both Kate and Castle being comfortable not saying anything and just enjoying the quiet. As Kate pulled up to the yellow duct tape, she stopped the car and exited, ducking under the tape with Castle right on her tail.

"What do you have for me, Lanie?" she asked.

**Reviews and comments, both good and bad, would be super appreciated!**


End file.
